The dismantling of the amateur rules of Swedish football in 1967 initiated the professionalization of the game in Sweden. This article analyses the impact and consequences of this development by using a comparative approach based on an examination of two clubs. The expected domination by Malmo FF in the new professionalized era is contrasted with the most unexpected success achieved by Hammarby IF The paradoxical differences in the recent histories of these clubs reveal a differentiated picture of Swedish soccer professionalism.